How Much I Care - Stony

Chapter 4: Peter

-I'll try to make this intro shorter than the last one but I just wanted to thank you all so much for taking the time to read this story and being so supportive about my writing. I appreciate you all so much and thank you again for being here :). Enjoy!-

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Tony's P.O.V

Pain.

It hurts.

What happened?

Where am I?

I attempt to open my eyes but can't seem to muster the strength. A searing pain shot through my chest and up my neck and I opened my mouth to groan, but only a strangled whisper came out. Sounding more like the last breaths of a desperate crow being devoured by a starved hawk.

I tried to open my eyes again, just barely succeeding in keeping them open before they snap shut. I could see light through my eyelids, yet it felt so dark. There was pain everywhere, it felt like I had been hit with a bus three times over.

A gentle voice suddenly called out my name and I squeezed my eyes harder before opening them again. Blinking a few times, I look around the bright room. Almost no color, just plain white with tints of blue and green.

"Mr. Stark?" The voice said again.

I turned my neck to look to the side but nearly cried out when a shock of pain shot through my entire body.

"Easy, Mr. Stark. You've suffered many injuries from the crash, try not to move too much," The voice said.

Crash? What crash? A car crash? What happened?

I opened my mouth to speak but could only manage one raspy noise before I stopped and gritted my teeth together.

"Try to use your throat as little as possible, your larynx has been severely damaged. Just relax and focus on breathing."

I closed my eyes again and did as I was told, focusing all my attention on the rise and fall of my chest, which was surprisingly difficult. I could barely get any air into my lungs, and my throat and chest were starting to ache worse.

"You crashed your suit somewhere on a mission in DC," The voice started.

DC! The mission!

Opening my eyes once again, I scanned the room a little closer.

A hospital room

"You took a hard blow to the chest, damaging your larynx and in turn your vocal cords and voice box. You also took a shot to your abdomen, damaging your right kidney. You'll have surgery to get it removed today," Said a woman, presumably the doctor.

I took a shaky breath in to speak but the doctor talked over me. "Try not to use your throat, remember? I'm sure you have a lot of questions but it's important to not damage your vocal cords any further. You have something called vocal cord paralysis, you won't be able to talk for a little bit while your throat recovers. You'll have trouble breathing and swallowing but in time, it will get better. Just try and rest for the time being, your kidney surgery will be in an hour, and I'll have one of my nurses come to check on you soon. Just pull this cord if you have an emergency," She said, lightly lifting a white cord placed close to my hand for easy access.

I nodded and she smiled at me. "Rest up, Mr. Stark." And with that, she closed the door.

<>>>With Steve<<<>

Steve's P.O.V

I was sitting on the couch in the Avengers tower, thinking everything through with my head in my hands, when suddenly Peter burst out of the elevator and rushed over to me.